When the Sun Meets the Snow
by Kowareta1468
Summary: Each year, the graceful passing of the seasons commence. Winter hands the Earth over to Spring, Spring to Summer, Summer to Fall, and Fall back to Winter. This peaceful balance has been going on for thousands of years. But what happens when the order changes? Surely nothing good would come from this. But even within the chaos, the guardians of the seasons find some good in it all.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone! This is my Christmas special. I will be posting a chapter every day until the final on Christmas :) I hope you all enjoy. **

**Inspiration: I sort of came up with this while watching _The Nightmare before Christmas_. It doesn't follow the plot of that or anything. It just sort of sparked an idea in my mind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or _The Nightmare before Christmas_. **

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><p>"Mother, why can't we go outside?" a young girl with striking violet hair asked her mother, whom had a darker hue to her hair, deep crinkles embedded into her forehead.<p>

"It's for your own safety, Ultear," the tired mother said, gently caressing her daughter's cheek.

"For what are you protecting us?" Ultear asked, continuing her questions.

The mother was about to answer, but someone came bursting into the room. "Mom!" It was a small boy with white hair spiked up to one side. "Gray went outside!"

Ur was nothing but reasonable. She loved her children unconditionally, never asking more of them than necessary. Keeping them inside was completely necessary, for she knew that one day her powers would be passed on to one of her children. She was the strongest Winter Protector the world has every seen, so how could she not pass on the gene at least once having three children? She knew that when their time came, not knowing that there was a possibility of having special powers, let alone controlling them, could cause mass destruction. So knowing that, how could she even think of letting her children outside? They lived in a large manor, so they had much space to play and enjoy themselves. She understood human curiosity. She knew they would try to leave. She just didn't expect that Lyon would let Gray out of his sight.

Ultear was perfectly respectable in every way. She was very proper, always addressing people by proper titles. Lyon didn't fully understand manners and how to hold himself as high as his older sister, but he did follow rules better than anyone. Gray, on the other hand, possessed no grace or respect for rules. He tried to escape every chance he got, and he finally managed to do it.

Running at full speed, Gray tried his best to escape. He knew he was so close, just within reach. He ran very fast for only being six. But, sadly, he heard his mother's footsteps coming not too far behind. He could hear her getting closer, so he turned to face her. She looked angry. He could see Ultear and Lyon lagging behind.

"No!" he screamed. "Don't stop me!"

Extending his hands out, he hoped she would indeed stop. Rather than her simply stopping, she froze. Literally. Horror crossed the faces of the children as they looked at their mother, whom was covered in ice. Gray looked at his hands. Wisps of snow were circling around them. Other than that, they looked completely normal.

Continuing the surprises, the ice around Ur turned to snow, then melted. "Gray!" she shouted in anger. She stalked forward and grabbed his wrists. "I told you not to leave! Do you see what you've done?! At only five!" She let out a heavy sigh. "Now I have to teach you to control yourself. It's about time to change to Winter. I suppose that helps. We better hurry if you want to learn."

Completely baffled, all the children followed Ur back, not fully understanding what was happening.

X

As the years passed, Gray learned to control his powers. Ultear and Lyon became very jealous of their younger brother. They were all taught what was happening to the young boy, and it was hard to believe at first. After seeing the seasons change by the hands of Ur, though, they fully understood. They had lived in the mountains where it was always snowing before, but since one of her children got their powers, she decided to go live somewhere else. The children were very surprised to discover that they had been living in a castle all along. Adjusting to common life was difficult, along with keeping their secret, but they managed.

"Mom?" Gray had asked as they were about to leave their palace life behind. "I get what's happening with me, and I get that you have to change fall to winter every year, but why? What does this all mean? For you? For me? For everyone?"

Ur smiled. "I'm very glad you asked. Have a seat, Gray."

And so they sat on the couch that would probably never be sat on for years to come, and the story began.

"Many, many years ago, when the Earth was just being made, it was always sunny and bright. There was only one season, you see. That all changed when a special boy was born. He had the power to make anything freeze. He got angry that the whole world was hot when he could do something about it, so he froze the Earth. After three months of this, a beautiful woman came to him. She said she had the power to defrost the Earth, if he allowed it. He was enchanted by her beauty and agreed. They decided to allow half of the year to be cold, while the other half was warm. They two eventually fell in love. They had twins together. One had the power to make things windy, the other make things grow. The twins became fall and spring.

These children fell in love with normal people and had more children. For a while, many people had basic powers with the weather, but they never changed anything. They left that to the Guardians. Over time, less and less people had these powers. Every so often, someone would be born with the gene. It was so rare that whoever was born with the power became the next Guardian.

"I am the Winter Guardian. I control the weather. There are usually two Guardians for each season, but one specializes in something. I control the Weather mainly. I can't say who the other Guardian is. It's strict code not to discuss that with anyone, even other Guardians. This keeps the world balanced. Now, I'm extremely strong for a Guardian. I knew that you, Lyon, or Ultear would carry the gene. That's why I kept you locked up for so long. I'm happy that you didn't hurt anyone when your powers were awoken.

"When you get older, and I pass, you will have to be a Guardian. You will meet with the Fall Guardian and Spring Guardian every year to pass on the seasons. It does take some skill, but I plan on sticking around a while. You'll learn what you need to know from me. Do you understand?"

And he did.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I hope you all are as excited about this story as I am! This chapter was very short, but don't worry, the others will be much longer. This is the last introduction chapter, after all.**

**Please support my other stories and review :)**

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><p>A young blonde girl sat at her window, dreamily looking outside. Well, it wasn't much of a window. Her family was very poor, so she lived in a hut of sorts. The house was positioned on a hill, so her window was actually at ground level. Her father demanded that she get the room she did for that reason; she wouldn't get much light.<p>

The sun shined onto her face, making her giggle. She always loved the sun. No matter how much her father beat or yelled at her, the sun would always come up each morning. It became a beacon of hope for her.

She reached her finger out to touch the dirt under her little window. A small sprout came up, making her smile wide. It was a trick she discovered one day. She moved her finger in a "come here" motion. The sprout grew until it had a pink bud on the end. She closed her hand into a fist, then popped it open. The flower bloomed.

She had always wondered about the Earth and the Sky. It was as if they both spoke to her in ways she'd never understand. Her mother died when she was young, and she was never allowed to see anyone. It just made the blonde wonder even more if everyone had this gift, for she had no one to ask. She had once asked her father. He told her she was stupid and insane, then didn't let her eat for a week. That happened every time she talked to her father, but that time seemed worse than usual.

She reached her hand towards the sky. The bright rays seemed to shine directly through her fingers.

"When will I ever feel you for real?" she whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry that I didn't update yesterday. I was pretty busy. I'm going to work out the next chapter tonight, so I'll publish it when I'm finished. I guess this story is also an introduction type, so it isn't that long. The next will be longer. **

**Please support my other stories and review :)**

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><p>"Fullbuster."<p>

"Dragneel."

The two men stared at each other, their foreheads almost touching. The room seemed to heat up more and more as time went on. "You have to let me switch the weather, Squinty Eyes," Gray growled. He roughly pushed on the pinkette's shoulders.

"What's that, Droopy Eyes?" Natsu pushed right back. "It's only November! I have plenty of time!"

"No, Dipshit! It's suppose to be snowing by now!"

"No way in hell, Popcicle!"

"Boys!"

They both flinched, slowly looking over. Sitting at the small table in the room was Erza. She had her long red hair down, as usual, wearing a festive sweater and a tight pencil skirt. She looked at them with a scowl. "Must we do this _every_ year?" She sighed and stood up. "It is our jobs as Guardians to protect the balance of this world! How exactly will we do that with you two constantly bickering? I have no trouble saying I enjoy the seasons switching to fall rather than winter."

Natsu scoffed. "That's just because L-"

Erza swiftly covered his mouth. "You know we can't repeat the names of the Summer Guardians!" she hissed. "We could offset the balance!"

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu waved her off. "It's not like Ice Freak could really do anything to offset anything. I'm sure the Winter Holiday Guardian does all the magic, anyways. It's not like he could be any better than Ur, anyways."

Gray, without warning, stormed out of the room. He walked down the familar hallway, since the meeting was in his castle, and entered a room. It was one of the hundred of guest rooms. He slid to the floor, breathing heavy. He couldn't believe that Natsu of all people were slandering Ur's name. It seemed like just yesterday he met the boy, and now he was more witty than ever.

_"Mom, I'm going to go into town, alright?" Gray called out on his way out the door. He ran through the woods, since it was a shortcut to town. He never liked deeling with the city people, anyways. They were always mocking him, asking each other if he was the son of that witch, meaning Ur. He wanted to yell at them, saying she was the reason for the balance of the seasons, but he knew he couldn't do that._

_When he started to get tired, he slowed to a walk. He took pride in the way that the leaves frosted under his feet. The wind breezed around him, chilling the are. Just before he got into town, he heard a sniffling sound. He stopped to listen. The noise was close, so he tried to get a little closer. He couldn't stop the frost under his feet, but he was still quiet enough._

_"Wh-why do they all hate me," came a shakey voice. _

_Gray glanced around the tree he was hiding behind. A boy with vibrant pink hair was punching a tree only a few feet away. _

_"I-it's not _my_ fault!" he wailed. He punched the tree a few more times. "So what if it's always warm around me! So I make a few plants die? I hate them all!" _

_"A Guardian?" Gray gasped. He quickly covered his mouth since he spoke too loudly, but the boy heard him. _

_"Who's there?!" the boy yelled, spinning around. "The Great and Mightly Natsu Dragneel will destroy you!" _

_Gray stepped out from behind his tree. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, the next Winter Guardian," he introduced himself. He held his hand out, but he saw his finger tips freeze. He handn't fully learned to control his powers yet. He laughed awkwardly and rubbed his hand on his pants. "So, um, I'm guessing your going to be the Fall Guardian?" _

_"Wh-what does that mean?" Natsu asked shakily, clearly frightened by Gray. _

_Gray sat down on the grass and tapped the spot next to him. Natsu reluctantly sat. For the next hour, Gray explained to Natsu what a Guardian was and what it meant. The pinkette absorbed everything he said, completely amazed. Gray even told him that he could ask Ur to find the Fall Guardian for him. And the next year, Natsu came over to meet him. His name was Gildharts Clive. The two hit it off imedietally, and Natsu left to live with him. The two friends didn't meet again until they were both Guardians, ready to take on a world of responsiblities._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I guess this is kind-of-sort-of an introduction chapter? I mean nothing _really_ happens in this chapter, but it is a great transition into the next one. And I'm really sorry for not posting every day like I originally planned. I guess I'm a little behind, but I know i will catch up at some point XD**

**Please Review and Support my Other Stories!**

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><p>"I just don't see why he won't let it snow," Gray grumbled, hitting the cue ball with his pool stick. The white ball hit a solid right into a hole. He cursed and threw his stick across the room. It stuck to the wall with a sheet of ice.<p>

"Thanks, Dumbass," Laxus laughed, taking his turn, happy that Gray put his ball in.

"Gray," Juvia said soothingly, melting the stick off the wall with her water. She nicely handed it back to him. "You guys have always been butting heads. Isn't it about time you sit down and talk about this?" She let out a small giggle. "Besides, you're acting like an old man."

Gray rolled his eyes and took his turn. It was true that you weren't suppose to name the other Guardians, but Laxus was Natsu's cousin. Juvia lived in the same small town as them, so they all knew each other growing up. There was no harm talking about Natsu since they all knew him and that he was a Guardian. Erza, on the other hand, was never mentioned. She came from a different side of Fiore, so she didn't know any of them.

"Will you just shut up about him already?" Lyon asked angrily, entering the room. He tossed a beer to Laxus and Gray. "Damn, you guys are such a pain."

"You wouldn't understand," Gray said, pointing his bottle at his brother. "You get Christmas, which happens every year whether it's snowing or not. You aren't even needed! You have no powers! All you do is sit back at your fancy computer and make sure every dumb kid get's their presents from their parents. You're the iconic 'Santa', but you don't do anything!"

"If I don't have any powers, then how did I become a Guardian, huh?" Lyon got right into his brother's face.

"It was a pity thing! The past Christmas Guardian just felt _bad_ for you. The one before you actually had powers! They just picked you so that you weren't left alone! I was moving up, ready to be the next Winter Guardian, Ultear disappeared, and you had nowhere to go! Mom had to go to live with the other past Guardians, so she wouldn't be there either." Gray slammed his beer on the table. "That's true and you know it!"**_  
><em>**

The two siblings continued to fight back and forth. Juvia grabbed Laxus' sleeve and pulled him out of the room. She put her arm against the hallway wall with a clenched fist. "Why can't we just tell them?" She sounded as if she was going to cry.

Laxus sighed. "You know we can't. Rules are rules." He turned her around so she was facing him. He pushed her bangs out of her teary eyes so she could see his face. "We aren't allowed to let any of them know the Summer Guardians. It's our job to keep the balance. I don't care what sort of relationship you have with Gray, whatever the fuck you guys want to call it. You can't tell him."

"But they think their sister is dead!" Juvia snapped. Her tears started flowing freely. "He's always so sad about that! Did Ultear ever tell you what happened?" She let out an aggravated sigh. "She told me that Gray was the Winter Guardian, since I already knew, obviously, and she knew that he had the power. She told me that every night it was like the moon was speaking to her. Her mom said that she was the Summer Guardian of Night. Ur made up a fake ransom note and had her sent to where the current Summer Guardians were. It was a coincidence that Ur had to leave for a week and left a couple days before that happened. When Gray and Lyon woke up the next morning, they were devastated to find their sister gone. Gray blamed himself because he wasn't strong enough to protect her. He thought that she was really taken, and he was too weak to sense it. He hates himself for it, Laxus. Lyon didn't have powers so he blames himself. Laxus, we-"

Laxus suddenly hugged Juvia, cutting her off. "We can't afford to tell him. It may be hard, but we can't. Maybe someday they will meet. But until then, we have to do our job. You can't sacrifice the world just to spare him a few tears."

_CRASH!_

Laxus laughed. "We better get back in there before they destroy Gray's caste." He paused before opening the door. "You know, that's probably another reason why they hate each other." He looked at Juvia over his shoulder with a smirk. "Lyon never inherited the cool castle."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So this is the second chapter I will be posting today. I don't think I'll post a third. Just know that now the story can really get started ;)**

**Please review!**

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><p>"Isn't it just a beautiful day?" Lucy asked, drawing the blinds. She sighed happily as the sun touched her cheeks. Quickly stripping out of her night outfit, she went over to her wardrobe. Scanning over the hundreds of dresses, she decided on a white dress with small sakura petals on the fabric. The dress reached just a couple inches below her hips. It was rather short, but she just loved the fabric and the spaghetti straps.<p>

Humming to herself, she skipped out of her room and down the hallway, waving her hands to water all the plants as she went. She had plants all over her castle. Well, her side of the castle. She eventually arrived at the main room where the doors to the outside where. The room was bright with yellow paint on the side she was standing at. At the other side, the room was painted gray. She looked up at the ceiling. Half of the it was painted with suns and flowers, while the other half was painted with stars and moons.

The blonde walked forward until she was on the dark side of the room. She hesitantly walked forward. All the hallways she walked through were dark and cold, just as much as the person living there. She was never able to earn the girl's friendships, despite trying many times. The girl just didn't want to talk with her.

After walking through many scary and dark hallways, Lucy finally found the room she was looking for. "Ultear?" she asked, knocking on the door sheepishly. She heard sniffling from inside. That surprised her. Ultear was always cold. It was surprising that she would cry. "I'm coming in, alright?"

Ultear was curled up into a ball on her bed, clutching a picture to her chest. She didn't even notice the blonde enter her room until she felt a light weight sit on her bed. Her head snapped up. She quickly stuffed the picture under her pillow. "What do you want?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

"I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday," Lucy said, puffing out her cheeks.

Ultear rolled her eyes. "There isn't anyone else _to_ wish me a happy birthday. Why are you really here?"

Lucy shifted uncomfortably under the older woman's glare. "I-I wanted to spend the day with you." She took a deep breath. "Ultear, I've been here for a few months now and you haven't even had a full conversation with me! I want to get to know you, and, more importantly, give you the best birthday."

"But I hate you," Ultear said bitterly. She started crying again. "I hate you and your stupid mother! You both took my family away! I had to come live with Layla and leave everything behind. And now I'm stuck with the stupid moon and stars. Do you know how boring that is? I hate it!"

Lucy hugged the girl, surprising them both. "You know, I'm a little envious of you."

"H-how?" Ultear asked in surprise.

"When I was little, my mom disappeared. I thought she died. But really, she was the Summer Guardian of Night. I was left alone with my abusive father. I was about ten when I realized my powers. On my sixteen birthday this man named Loke came to me. He said he was the Summer Guardian of Day and that my mother sent him. He said that Mom thought I might have some powers so she sent him to see. When he figured out I had his power he took him with him to this remote island to help me practice everything. He said when I was eighteen I could come to the castle, but Mom was already gone. You had came and took her place. So she was somewhere that he didn't even know. When I came I saw my mother for a second. She came to get Loke. I haven't seen either since.

I'm envious of her. I wanted to be a Guardian of Night so I could train with my mother. You got to see her more than I ever have. I got stuck with that pervert Loke. He said he was only nineteen, but he said I was better for the job. Either way, I can never have that connection to my mother like you have. You can visit the very room she slept in any time you want. I'm stuck on my side of the castle. Even if I came to visit her room, I would never truly be with her. I don't belong with her. I'm different. And it makes me jealous of you."

"Shh, it's okay," Ultear said, rubbing the blonde's back. Lucy hadn't realized that she started crying. "I know what you mean. My mother, she was-." Ultear stopped herself, not sure if she should say. She decided that there was no harm because Ur had already retired. "My mother was the Winter Guardian, the most powerful anyone has every seen. I had two brothers back home with me. One inherited her powers. I guess I got these powers. I haven't seen any of my siblings or my mother since I was sixteen."

Lucy's eyes widened. "It's been eight years now." She moved so she could look at Ultear's face. "Is that why you hate birthdays? Is it just one more year you haven't seen them?"

Ultear nodded. "You're envious of me for seeing your mother? At least you haven't seen yours. It's harder to let go with what you know than what you don't."

The two sat in silence for a long time. The only sound in the room was their heartbeats and the birds singing outside.

"I know!" Lucy suddenly said, jumping up. "Let's go do something. We'll go to town and look around. Then we'll come back and have a party. What do you say?"

Ultear was hesitant, but she couldn't say no to the look in Lucy's eyes. The former got up and quickly changed into a purple dress and black shoes. Lucy didn't have shoes on, but that didn't stop her from running outside. Ultear followed.

As the two walked through town, Lucy pointed out things she found interesting. Ultear would smile every time. The blonde was only recently a part of this town, so she hadn't seen much. It was a beautiful fall day, not cold in the slightest. That worried her, though. Was Gray not doing his job? What was stopping him? Was it Natsu? Erza would surely make sure everything went smoothly, right? Then why wasn't it snowing?! Thoughts were swirling in her mind so fast she was starting to feel dizzy.

Ultear snapped out of her thoughts whens he heard a whistle. She looked and saw a couple guys standing along the road looking at Lucy. She was innocently crouched down looking at some flowers that were growing along the other side of the road. That just left her pink underwear obvious for anyone to see. Ultear almost laughed at her innocence, but she wasn't happy with the old men looking so carefully. With a flick of her wrist, a strong gust of wind hit the men, knocking them to the ground. She pushed them into the darkness of the ally behind them, letting it swallow them whole. It was the first time she was proud of controlling the night and darkness.

"Lucy?" Ultear asked. Lucy hummed and looked over her shoulder. "Why don't we go shopping a little? I know a few places that you'll love."

Lucy smiled and skipped after Ultear, happy that the girl was finally acting like her friend.

As fate would have it, that day the two girls became friends. In Lucy's innocence, and Ultear's greed, they would bring a terrible change to the world. It would be beautiful at first, but it would eventually turn to total hell.

X

Lucy giggled to herself as she did the finally touches to the ballroom. The castle was as if it was a mirror, both sides having the same things, which meant two ballrooms. She decided to use hers to decorate.

When she called Ultear into the room, the woman was stunned. It was all so beautiful. Plants decorated every corner. Beautiful flowers shaped like stars hung from the ceiling. On the stage below the balcony, large trees were sitting with wooden instruments in front of them. When Lucy snapped her fingers, the trees came to life. They had faces and fingers. They picked up the different instruments and started playing. On the balcony, written with large vines emboarded with flowers, was the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ULTEAR. Yellow flowers in the shapes of stars hung from the ceiling. To top it off, there was a table full of food.

"Lucy, I don't know what to say," Ultear said, tearing up a little. "It's all so beautiful. Thank you."

Lucy squealing in delight and hugged Ultear. "I just knew you'd love it! I'm not the best at doing practical things with my powers, but having many lonely birthdays in my room gave me some ideas. I used to bring flowers to life and they would be my friends. But this isn't about me, it's about you!"

Ultear felt so happy. She remembered that Layla and Loke would always throw her a party, but it was never like this. Everything was just perfect. And for hours and hours, the girls laughed and danced. They roamed the castle, finding rooms they never searched before. They dressed up in silly clothes, and, for once in their life, enjoyed the company of another girl their age.

When it was finally time for the moon to come up, Lucy took Ultear back to the ballroom. She made a fancy throne of vines and told Ultear to sit. Then she ran up to the balcony. Once there, she shouted out to Ultear, "It's time for your present!"

Ultear watched in amazement as Lucy's eyes turned golden. They glowed, eliminating the whole room. That's when she started chanting.

_"Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._

_All the stars, far and wide..._

_Show me thy appearance..._

_With such shine._

_Oh Tetrabiblos... _

_I am the ruler of the stars..._

_Aspect become complete..._

_Open thy malevolent gate._

_Oh 88 Stars of the heaven... _

_Shine!_

_**Urano Metria!**"_

A soft glow enveloped Ultear. Lucy smiled wide. "I found this spell in a book in the library!" she called. "It grants you any wish! Just wish it and it will be done!"

Ultear didn't know what to think. Lucy learned a spell that advanced? She's been in the library before. It was the only thing in the castle there was only one of. That was the only explanation for why Lucy found a book of spells for Guardians of Night. But how did she master an advanced spell for a power that wasn't even hers? She probably had a little bit of Night power in her, because of Layla, but how did she have enough to master that?

"Hurry!" Lucy yelled. "The spell won't last for much longer!"

Ultear could see Lucy was keeping the spell going until the former made a wish. The blonde was looking tired. Ultear pulled out the picture from her pocket. Lyon and Gray were smiling, their arms around each other's shoulders. Ultear was laying in front of them with her chin in her hands, a smile on her face. She felt a tear slip down her face. "I want to see you two again," she whispered. "More than anything."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: A couple people were saying that this story was moving at a really fast pace. Yes, it is. That's what I wanted to happen, though. The first four chapters were simply introduction chapters. **

**Chapter 1: Introduction on Guardians and Gray**

**Chapter 2: Little Introduction on Lucy**

**Chatper 3: Introducing Fall Guardians and How Natsu and Gray Met**

**Chapter 4: Introducing Spring Guardians**

**Chapter 5: Introducing Summer Guardians**

**Every chapter was set-up the way it was for a reason. I'm showing you what I feel is important. With how I plan for the story to go, you need to know all the characters and a little bit of how they got there. I also wanted to make sure you understood Guardians from all angles and how they work. I purposely gave you guys fast development over smooth, just to get it all out there. So please stick with me. It will all come together starting with this chapter.**

**Please review!**

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><p>Thanksgiving came and went, and soon Christmas was among everyone. Gray managed to make it snow just in time for everything to have a white Christmas. He made sure to have it snow extra for all the kids on vacation from school. When New Years came, it let up for everyone going back to school within the next couple days.<p>

For Lucy, she was looking forward to playing in the snow. It was unfortunate, though, because any time she got near the cold substance it all melted. After she turned her whole town into summer, she thought it best to stay inside. Ultear seemed to be doing the same, anyways.

It was hard for Ultear to keep a smile up around Lucy. She didn't want the blonde to think there was anything wrong when, if fact, there was. She wasn't sure why she expected her Birthday Wish to come true. It was just a silly spell Lucy shouldn't know anyways. Yet she found herself crying, realizing that nothing can make her meet her siblings again, and no magic could change that.

It was mid-January when Lucy had the dream.

She was walking through a field of flowers as carefree as always. She eventually came to a glass wall. She placed her hands on the glass. It was snowing on the other side. She wished she could reach it. Then, suddenly, she was chanting the words to Uarno Metria. Her words were so high-pitched and loud the glass shattered.

An ear-piercing scream left her lips as she sat up with a start. She looked around. She let out a sigh of relief when she found that she was just in her room. Everything seemed to be in order. Everything but her door. She could see a strong light coming through the sides. Curious, she pulled the covers off her body and got out of bed. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Where was the cold air coming from? Swinging the door open, she gasped when she saw that She was above a snowy field. She went to go back through the door, but it was suddenly gone. And just as fast, the small platform she was standing on disappeared. She screamed as she fell towards the ground. An 'oof!' left her lips as she hit the fluffy snow. She looked up, but everything was getting blurry.

X

"That's not fair, Gray!" Romeo yelled, trying to throw a snowball at Gray.

"How isn't it?" Gray asked, freezing the snowball before it could hit him.

Romeo puffed out his cheeks. "How am I suppose to hit you if you just freeze it every time?"

Gray was suddenly behind the young boy. "Maybe you should start thinking like a Guardian," he whispered in the boy's ear.

"Hey!" Romeo yelled, spinning around. Gray was already gone.

Wendy giggled. "Can't you go a little easy on him?" she asked sweetly.

Gray laughed. "Like that's gonna happen!"

"Yeah!" Romeo added. "It won't mean anything if he goes easy on me!"

"I want to play, too!" Wendy suddenly exclaimed. She picked up some snow and threw it at Romeo, but he easily dodged it. He laughed and threw one at her. It hit her chest, knocking her done. Her lip started trembling.

"Shit!" Gray cursed, not caring that he was around a little girl that was only six and a boy that was seven. He ran over to Wendy and dropped to his knees in front of her. "Hey, don't cry, okay? I'm sure he didn't mean to hit you hard." He affectionately rubbed her head.

Wendy wiped her tears and started laughing. "He didn't even hit me!" she said proudly. "I stepped back in time!"

Gray felt a snowball hit the back of his head. He stood up to face Romeo. Wendy jumped up onto his shoulder and smashed a large amount of snow onto him. His eyebrow twitched. He grabbed Wendy and threw her to the ground. "You little!" he laughed. He started tickling her. Her screams of laughter resonated across the open field.

"Hey! Stop that!" Romeo yelled, running over to defend his friend. He jumped up to tackle Gray, but he found his feet frozen to the ground. "Don't play dirty!"

Wendy managed to roll away. Gray unfroze Romeo and stated to chase the little girl. They all ran around laughing for a while.

Wendy suddenly stopped. Gray almost ran into her, but he quickly stopped. Romeo plowed right into Gray, knocking the latter over. "What's up, Wendy?" Romeo asked as if he wasn't laying on Gray.

"Get off me," Gray laughed. He glanced over. His eyes widened. There, laying in the snow, was a girl. She was just wearing a pair of light blue shorts and a white t-shirt. Her blonde hair was sprawled out in the snow. "We better get her inside. She might have frost bite."

Gray scooped the unknown girl into his arms. He smirked over his shoulder at the two kids. "Try to keep up."

A large ramp of snow was made that lead back to his caste. He made a pair of skates for each of them. Then they were off. They hurried down the ramp, the ice melting behind them. Romeo and Wendy had no trouble keeping up, party because Gray was controlling the ice around their feet to move faster.

When they all got to the castle, Gray hurried inside. He went straight to the spa. There was an extremely large bathtub there, perfect for warming her up. "Romeo, you should probably go. You shouldn't really see her naked, you know?"

"You shouldn't either!" Romeo blurted out. He could care less if he saw the girl naked or not. He just wanted to help and make sure she was okay.

"Yeah, Gray," Wendy agreed. "You'll be just as scarred as Romeo would be!"

Gray couldn't help but laugh. He was twenty-two. Of course he's seen a woman naked. He wasn't exactly ugly. "Why don't you two go get Lyon? He's probably at the house in town." Since it wasn't a good idea to let the world know they lived in a castle, Gray and Lyon kept the house they lived at as children after they left the castle. Lyon usually stayed there.

Wendy and Romeo sighed before doing what they were told, making a race out of it.

Gray checked to make sure the girl was still breathing, which she was. She didn't seem to have frost-bite, either. He quickly took off her clothes, leaving her in her underwear. He quite impressed with her chest. He didn't dwell on that, though. He tried to wake her up, but she didn't move. He sighed and set her on the bench in the room. He stripped down to his boxers before getting into the tub himself. He pulled her in with him. He could already see the color rising to her cheeks. He wondered how long she was out in the snow, and, more importantly, how she got there. No one ever went up to the top of his mountain. He was positive that no one knew about the secret cave that had the staircase up the mountain through the center of it all.

A soft moan escaped her lips. He knew she was going to wake up. After a moment, her deep brown eyes opened. She looked a little dazed. There was no mistaking the moment she fully woke up, though. She screamed and pushed him back, her face all red. "Wh-who are you?" she stuttered, covering her chest.

Gray smirked. "Just the guy who saved your life, that's all. No big deal." He held his hand out. "I'm Gray."

"Lucy." She hesitantly shook his hand. She looked around, not sure where she was or what happened to her.

"I found you out in the snow. I figured putting you in the bath would warm you up, which it did." He saw how uncomfortable she was. "I'll go grab you some warm clothes and make you some tea, okay?"

Lucy watched with a blush on her cheeks as he got out of the tub. The way the water rolled down the muscles in his back. She blushed even more. He left the room for a moment. He quickly came back with one of his shirts. "That should fit you," he said. Then he left again.

Gray went down to the kitchen, not caring that he was still wearing his wet boxers. Wendy and Romeo wouldn't be back for a while, so he didn't need to worry about them. He got the tea kettle down from the one cabinet and started the hot water. He found a mug and put a tea bag in it.

"There you are."

Gray knew from the voice that it was Juvia.

"I was looking for you," she said, walking over. She put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"You and Laxus stopped over just last week," Gray said. "Remember? Laxus electrocuted me? Damn, that hurt like a bitch."

"No, Gray," Juvia purred. "That's not what I meant."

Gray turned around in her arms. "Oh, I get what you mean now." She stood on her toes so she could reach his lips.

The two had a complicated relationship. Juvia was completely in love with Gray. Gray wasn't quite there. Love between Guardians was forbidden anyways, that is, unless the two people are both in control of the same season. That was just so two seasons didn't "team up" against the others to revolt. Regardless, they had a purely physical relationship, which there was no rule to say against that.

The tea kettle made it's loud whistle, bringing Gray back to reality. He totally forgot that he was making tea for the girl that he suspiciously found in his woods. He separated himself from Juvia to wordlessly make the tea.

Juvia pouted. "Is tea really that important at the moment?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Actually, yes," Gray said. He dug the sugar out and added some to the drink. "Besides, Wendy and Romeo should be back soon with Lyon."

"You're taking quite a liking to those two, aren't you?" Juvia asked, giggling.

"I remember when they were born," Gray said. He took a sip of the tea to make sure it tasted alright. It needed a little more sugar. "I was fifteen when Romeo was born, then a year later Wendy came along. Ur told me to make friends with everyone in town, especially the children. She said that in this town, nine times out of ten the Guardians come from here. I had to watch. I guess I was especially fond of those two. I'm just really happy that they're the next Winter Guardians. It's nice that they are both great friends, too."

"You're such a softie." Juvia pulled him over to kiss him, once again.

"We're back!"

They both jumped a foot away, both blushing. Wendy and Romeo ran into the room, pulling Lyon behind them. Gray quickly grabbed an apron that was hanging up next to him and put it on, covering himself at least a little. "Can I take the tea upstairs?" Wendy asked, picking up the cup.

"Yeah, just be careful," Gray said, patting her head. She smiled and walked out of the room. Romeo ran after her.

Lyon looked between Juvia and Gray, raising an eyebrow. "He wanted to laugh at their red faces. "Can you not be so obvious?" He pulled the apron off of Gray. "This is mine. Please don't wear it when you're just about naked. Please." He hung it back up. "What did you need me for, anyways?"

Gray nodded his head toward Juvia. Lyon understood. "I'm going to go change," Gray said. "Juvia, you should get home. I'm pretty busy at the moment."

"Call me when you have time," Juvia said, kissing his cheek. She patted Lyon's shoulder on the way out of the room.

Lyon shivered dramatically. "Can you _not_ make plans like that in front of me? It's not exactly a good mental picture, you know?" _  
><em>

"Yeah, yeah, come here," Gray said. He stalked up the stairs. "Wait out here," he said as he entered his room. He came out wearing jeans and a black shirt, along with dry underwear. "She's in the spa."

Lyon raised an eyebrow. She? What exactly was he hiding?

X

After Gray left, Lucy got out of the tub to look at the different soaps that were on the many shelves in the room. They seemed to have hundred of bottles, both for men and women. She pick a couple and went over to the water. After quickly stripping, she got into the tub. She figured since she was there she might as well take a bath.

Her memory was a little hazy. How did she get out in the woods? She couldn't remember anything before waking up except her name. It was odd.

She heard the door creak open. There was a little boy and girl. "Hello, I'm Wendy," the girl said. "And this is Romeo. I brought you tea."

Lucy swam over to the edge by the girl. The bath was that big. She smiled as the cup was handed to her. She took a sip and enjoyed the warmth flowing through her. She set the cup down. "Do you guys want to join me?"

Wendy smiled and nodded. Romeo shrugged. There were lots of bubbles in the water, so it's not like he would see either girls. Wendy and Romeo turned away from each other to change, then jumped in.

After a couple minutes of splashing around, the door opened again. Lucy looked up and saw Gray and another guy she didn't know. "Gray!" she said happily. She went back over to the edge. "The tea was really good." She had a wide smile on her face.

"See, Lyon," Gray said. "That's the girl. I found her in the fields passed out. I'm not quite sure what to do with her."

"We definitely can't tell any of the other Guardians," Lyon mumbled. "We probably aren't suppose to have a common girl here. We'll just have to hide her. I'm not going to take care of her, that's for sure. You can do that."

Gray smiled as he watched Lucy and the two kids splash around. She seemed so carefree. It was so easy for her to play with two children she just met in a strange place. He was sure it wouldn't be bad having her there. He could just tell they were all going to have a lot of fun together.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I really haven't had as much time as I thought I would to write this story. Honestly, I think I want to make this continue on past Chirstmas anyways, so I'm just going to update when I can, but still prioritize it. **

**Please review!**

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><p>Gray squinted his eyes shut farther. He carefully opened them, wondering why the sun was filtering through his window. If he remembered correctly, not once has he been woken up to the sun, it rising above all else in his frozen world. He didn't exactly want to wake up at six in the morning. Really, why was the stupid sun there? He went to roll over to fix his problem, but he couldn't. There was someone hugging his waist. He tried to remember the night before. Did he go back with Juvia? He didn't think so. She usually came to his place, anyways.<p>

Then he remembered.

He had found Lucy in the snow. He brought her back to his castle to help her. Lyon said that he'd ask around town to see if anyone knew her, so she should stay at the castle until then. Wendy and Romeo had to go home for dinner, leaving him alone with the blonde. He had thrown her in one of the guest rooms, but apparently she found her way back to him.

He rolled over carefully, making sure not to wake her. She had her head buried between his chest and the pillows. She was shivering against him. He never even thought to turn the heat up. Wendy and Romeo used to complain about the cold, but after their powers were awoken they didn't get cold just from the heat not being on. He glanced across the room to the rocking chair in the corner. There was a stack of blankets there. He carefully got out of bed and went over to grab them. The moment he put them on the bed he heard her sigh in content.

Gray wasn't sure how long he watched the girl before he noticed it. How could he not? It was almost too obvious. The sunlight was shining right on her, making her hair seem to glow. No sooner did he notice this, she woke up. She make a cute mumbling noise before opening her big brown eyes. Rather than the confusion he expected, he saw curiosity flash across her face. She reached out to touch his face, which made him flinch back.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying not to sound nervous. He wasn't quite sure why he would even be nervous. Maybe it was because he was laying in his bed with a girl that couldn't remember anything but her name, while he was a powerful Guardian. What could go wrong?

"I was cold in my room," she mumbled, blushing slightly.

Gray was taken aback slightly. She was worried about being in his bed? She thought he would be mad? It made him wonder how old she was. She had to be young to be worried about innocently sleeping next to a guy. She looked about fifteen. Just the thought made him feel like a creep. He was seven years older apart from her, if his guess on her age was correct.

"Wh-what are you looking at?" Lucy stuttered, pulling the blankets halfway over her face. The parts Gray could see were cherry red.

Gray resisted the urge to laugh. She was just full of surprises. He faintly heard her stomach growl, followed by his. That time he did laugh. "How about some breakfast?" He saw her nod sheepishly.

The two climbed out of bed. He almost liked how she looked with his shirt on, which was way too big for her. He shook the thought away. How could he possibly be thinking things like that about her? Juvia has worn his shirts plenty of times; it wasn't a big deal. He quickly led her out of the room, walking down to the kitchen a little faster than he should. He could hear Luvy running to keep. It was a little funny, so he went with he stopped in front of the kitchen, Lucy slammed into his back. He spun around to catch her arm. She just blushed and laughed.

Lyon swung the door open for them. "Good, you're up." He pushed the two inside. On the table sat two empty plates, one heaping pile of pancakes, and two mugs. He had coffee in the one for Gray, but Lucy's was empty. "I made breakfast for you guys. We have a lot to do today."

Gray rolled his eyes and took his seat. Lyon always felt the need to be his secretary, which was annoying. "Lucy, what do you want to drink?" he asked, pinching his temples. He just wanted a day off from all the stress. He only had to work a couple months out of the year, and he hated each one, aside from getting to play in the snow.

"Juice?" Lucy asked. Ultear never let her have coffee. She was wild enough, apparently.

Lyon poured apple juice into Lucy's glass. "Anyways, Gray, Erza would like to come over to discuss the amount of snow for the next fall holidays. Laxus and Juvia need to come over to discuss more about the Season Change coming up." He looked up to see if Lucy was listening. He didn't really think to keep the conversation secret, since he didn't want her knowing about Guardians. Luckily, she was too busy with her pancakes to pay attention. He sighed and continued. "Then there's the issue with Lucy."

"She isn't an issue," Gray interjected sharply. He smiled at the blonde, who had already eaten half the stack, which had about twenty pancakes originally. He only ever ate two, so all he thought was that she was being cute.

"Yes, I know," Lyon said, rolling his eyes. "That doesn't mean that we shouldn't do something about her. She needs clothes, first of all. I think you should take her down shopping today sometime. I checked around town and no one was missing anyone, so I think if something doesn't come up in the next couple days we should just report a missing child. All of Fiore will be notified."

"No." Gray took a long sip of coffee. "I'm not going to do that to her. If you really want to do something, get on your Santa Software, or whatever you want to call it. Just look at the past records to see if you can find her."

Lyon was surprised with the idea. "That will be heard, since there are so many girls named Lucy. I have to look at every one. But I'll start on that when I get the chance."

"Graaaayyy~"

Lyon shivered.

Gray smirked.

Then he realized he had to hid Lucy.

_"Shit!"_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: A lot of you thought that the girl was Erza or Juvia, but you are wrong both times. And for a few of you that said if it was Juvia she would be yelling "Gray-sama," I would not have that, for future reference. For those who watch the show Dubbed, I'll never use honorifics because it would confuse them. **

**I don't know why this bothers me, and I'm sorry if I'm being rude for freaking out over this, but I'm going to respond. A guest reviewed and said "_Since the plot has an element of "us against the world", that is they are prohibited to meet, I expect Drama, Hurt/comfort, Angst, or Tragedy as one of the genres. But these were not listed._" for part of what they said. To me, this came off as a flame and that person acting like they know EXACTLY how this story will go. For one, just to say, this story isn't that type of story. Secondly, you can only put two genres for a story. If you guys have read any of my other stories, you know that I never add extras in the summaries, even though there are others that fit well. I put romance because, well, there's romance? And I added family above anything else because Lucy met Gray because a family broke up, and I will be adding a lot of stuff in about that. Yes this is drama, but doesn't every story have drama? And this is in no way a tragedy! **

**Once again, sorry for blowing up like that, but, quite frankly, that pissed me off. I mean, can you please just let me write my story? I didn't even realize this story came off as a tragedy! Nothing about this is tragic, and I surely meant it to be that way. On purpose. Okay, my rant is over. **

**Please leave a little review. They make me :) **

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><p>Gray quickly grabbed Lucy's wrist. She dropped her cup as she was yanked from her chair. Gray froze the liquid from the cup before it hit the floor right before he ran out of the room. He shoved the blonde into the first room he saw. "Stay here a minute, okay?" he asked. She nodded, although very confused.<p>

He ran back into the kitchen. Quickly throwing the frozen juice and cup into the sink. Just as he turned around, he was tackled to the ground. He sat up with a pink-cheeked brunette sitting on his lap. He could see from the corner of his eye the liquor bottle on his table.

"Gray!" she squealed happily, hugging him as if she would never get the chance again.

"Cana!" Gray chocked out. "Can't...breathe!" She let him go. Air filled his lungs.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Lyon asked sourly, dumping her bottle down the drain. She clearly didn't need any more alcohol at the moment. He could smell her from across the room.

Cana looked over her shoulder at Lyon with a glare. "I came to see Gray, duh," she said with a normal tone, no sign of her being drunk. Lyon scoffed and rolled his eyes, clearly not happy with her little show. She glared at him briefly before looking back at Gray. "I hope _you're_ at least happy to see me." She smiled and rubbed her nose against his.

Gray moved her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. "Of course I am. I just didn't expect you to come visit this early." He grabbed her waist so he could stand up without her falling.

Lyon glanced to the door across from the one leading out of the kitchen. "I'm going to go check on...something," he said, leaving the room.

"That was weird," Cana giggled. Since he finally left, she moved closing to Gray to properly kiss him in greeting.

Lyon sighed as he flicked the light on. He saw Lucy sitting stiffly on the couch in the room. "Sorry about that," he apologized, sitting down beside her. "Gray doesn't really want anyone to see you, so he had to hide you really fast."

Lucy looked down at her lap sadly. "Why does he want to hide me?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"It would just be easier on everyone," Lyon began to explain. "You don't seem to remember anything, and we obviously don't know anything about you. Finding out that you live here might cause some problems, especially since you aren't suppose to be here. We need to get you back to your family."

"Who's that girl?" Lucy asked, glancing out of the room. Lyon hadn't closed the door, so she had just the right angle to see into the kitchen. She saw Gray talking to a beautiful brunette. She blushed when she saw them kiss each other suddenly. Not a second later the door closed. She looked at Lyon with almost a startled expression.

Lyon ran a hand through his spiked-up hair. "That's Cana, Gray's girlfriend. She likes to randomly show up sometimes." He sighed as he sat down again. He didn't even understand his brother sometimes. He was dating Cana for almost two years. She had no clue that he was a Guardian. For a while he just took her to their little house they have for show, but after a year of them dating he showed her the mansion. He said that his mother and father were very rich and left behind a lot of money. Her father was pretty wealthy, too, so she completely believed him. The thing was, her father, Gildharts, was the past Fall Guardian. He obviously never told her, so she was probably told that he was a business manager. That's what Ur always told them until they found out about Guardians, at least.

So he's been dating Cana for a while. On top of getting an amazing and beautiful girlfriend, Gray has Juvia, as well. She was purely a no-strings-attached relationship. Cana didn't even know about Juvia. Juvia knew about Cana, of course. Juvia was completely in love with Gray, so he wouldn't want her rebelling against him and doing something to harm the seasons. That's exactly why relationships between the Guardians are forbidden. It was actually a chance thing that the two even started their make-shift relationship. They were both at this Guardians conference, got drunk, and inevitably had sex. A couple times after that they would spend some "time" together, but that's really only when they're both desperate. It wasn't even that often anymore. It all mainly happened before Cana came into the picture. Cana worked for a wine company, no surprise to anyone, so she traveled sometimes. That was about the only time Gray and Juvia got together. Cana just happened to get back from a month-long trip.

"Lyon?" Lucy asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. He nodded, showing her he was listening. "I kind of remember something."

"What is it?" Lyon asked. He was hoping it was something he could go by to help find her family.

"I remember...a guy." She squeezed her temples as if it would help her remember. "It's just all a blur, but I remember being around one a lot." She felt a jolt of pain shoot across her chest and she cried out. Her body was tingling clear to her toes. She looked out the window at the sun. She felt the pain again, as if her body was trying to get her to do something. Every day she used to absorb the sun's warmth and energy, but she didn't remember she had to. She wasn't around her Element, so her body was reacting to that. It's not like she knew that, though.

"Are you alright?" Lyon asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Lucy snapped her eyes opened. She hadn't even realized that she fell to her knees, gripping her chest. A gasp left her lips. She shook her head, tears in her eyes. She didn't understand where the pain was coming from. All the windows in Gray's mansion were frosted glass, so the sun couldn't properly reach her. She wasn't around nature at all being in the frozen palace.

Lyon wasn't sure what to do. "I-I'm getting Gray." He quickly went back into the kitchen. Gray and Cana were in their own world, kissing like they hadn't seen each other in ages. He didn't realize a month apart would make them miss each other that much. Then again, Cana actually did look pretty drunk and seemed to be the one enforcing the kiss. Lyon cleared his throat, drawing them apart. Cana glared at Lyon. They really did hate each other. "Gray, you need to help me."

"With what?" Gray asked almost angrily. In his opinion, he already saw his brother way too much. He just wanted to wait until Cana left, then go to town with Lucy. Lucy! "Did something happen to the, uh, heater again?"

"It is kind of cold in here," Cana said, completely agreeing with everything.

Lyon rolled his eyes. "Yes, now come on." He grabbed his brother's wrist and dragged him back to Lucy. He shut the door before Cana could even think about following.

"Lucy!" Gray gasped, dropping down beside her. She was fully crying now. "What's wrong? Does your chest hurt? We need to get you to a doctor!" He easily scooped her up into his arms.

"What about Cana?" Lyon asked. He really didn't need her seeing Lucy.

"Tell her..." Gray stopped to think. He looked down at Lucy. What would be a good excuse? "You know what? Tell her to go take a bath or something. Say I just need to run into town real quick."

Gray went outside, hoping Lyon would be able to convince Cana. He walked down the path, holding Lucy. His chest clenched at the sight of her crying for some reason. Maybe because she's just a little girl. Well, compared to him. He melts every time Wendy cries, so that must be it.

Looking down, Gray saw that Lucy fell asleep. He decided it was safe to take a little shortcut. He ran over to the little slide he made out of ice. It would be odd for a natural slide of ice, so he only used it when he was around people that knew of his powers. Sitting down, he pushed off, zipping down the mountain in just under a minute. He figured that he couldn't go into a normal hospital, since he didn't even know her last name, so he decided to go Wendy's. Her mother was a nurse, so she could help.


	9. Chapter 9

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter :) Please tell me what you think!**

**(Just to be clear, Lucy is eighteen. That was established on the chapter Ultear was first introduced. Gray just thinks she's fifteen because she looks young.)**

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><p>Ultear groaned as she pulled herself out of bed. Looking at the clock on her bedside table, she saw that it was only nine in the morning. She pulled her black silk robe over her tank top and shorts and went down to her kitchen. She pulled out her carton of milk and took a sip. She gagged and spit it out. Looking at the carton, she saw that it was long expired. She sighed again as she started walking towards Lucy's side of the castle. Surely the blonde would already have breakfast made. She always made extra just in case Ultear woke up early enough for breakfast.<p>

When she walked into the kitchen, Utlear saw all the plants in the room lean towards her. As if they noticed it wasn't Lucy, they all backed away. She thought that was strange. Going over, she looked at one of the pots. The soil was dry. That was even more strange.

Lucy had a very particular morning routine. She woke up every morning at six. After quickly making her bed and getting dressed, she would go around her side of the castle and water all her many plants. At that point it was seven. Then she would go down to her outside spa, as she called it, but it was really just a pond. She had special fish that kept the water as clean as a bathtub. After spending almost an hour in there, since she had to talk to all the animals that gathered there, despite them never talking back, she went to make breakfast. She made mountains and mountains of food, since she ate a lot. She would then leave a normal amount for Ultear. After that, it was hard to tell what she would do. Depending on what time Ultear woke up, she would usually catch the blonde in the library or eating lunch.

But on this day, Lucy did not leave behind any food. Ultear quickly went over to Lucy's spa. Maybe she was there? When she opened the door to the outside, all the animals and plants looked as if waiting for Lucy, just as in the kitchen. She was getting nervous now. Running down the hallways once again, plants following her path, she went into the Lucy's room. The bed was a mess. Her lamp was even on the floor. The blinds were closed. She didn't even want to stop to considering that something happened to the blonde; she had to continue her search. So off she ran, to the library, to the music room, anywhere she could think of. She even checked her own part of the castle. Running into town, she asked all the store owners if they saw Lucy. The blonde was fond of going into town, after all. All going into town did was make a full out of Ultear for not wearing any shoes and only wearing her pajamas.

Ultear didn't waste a moment. She ran straight to the train station. Where should she go? Natsu? Erza? Juvia? Laxus? She didn't know. All she could think of at the moment was that her precious Lucy was gone. The blonde had become her little sister, filling the gap of her lost brothers, even if just a little. Now she's lost another sibling. And, this time, she didn't cause it. That made her feel a little better, but she still felt awful. Is this how Gray and Lyon felt?

X

Wendy was coloring a picture in her coloring book when the there was a knock on the door. She ran over to open it. She smiled widely when it was Gray. Her smile dropped, though, when she saw Lucy. "What's wrong with her?" She stepped aside so Gray could get inside. "Mom!"

Grandine came running into the room, a dishcloth in hand. "Gray! What a lovely surprise. What can I do for you?" She noticed the blonde, but she didn't want to rush to conclusions. She decided to let Gray do the talking, rather than her asking questions.

Gray had worried plastered across his face. "She...Lyon just came to get me...She was crying...in pain...I don't know what happened...She passed out...but...but... I don't..."

Grandine grabbed Lucy and took her over to the couch. Wendy pulled Gray over to a chair so he could sit down. He put his head in his hands, breathing heavy. He didn't know what to do. What if she had some serious condition he had no clue about? What if she was dying? Would she ever get back to her family? He knows how it feels to have someone disappear over night. Was someone having this pain at the moment?

"Gray, I need you to calm down," Grandine said. She wasn't sure who the girl was, but she had a feeling she was important to Gray. "Just let the Healing Guardian take care of it." She had a lopsided grin on her face.

Gray looked up at Grandine in surprise. He had totally forgotten that she _was_ a Guardian. The Healing Guardian didn't have a palace or anything special. They could live wherever they want. They were just there especially for taking care of Guardians. He remembered that when Wendy showed signs of being a Winter Guardian, Grandine showed up on his doorstep. He was more than confused. He didn't know that anyone knew how to get to his castle, yet this strange woman with long white hair and bright brown eyes found her way. She said she was Wendy's mother and needed to talk to him. Since then, the two had been close.

Although Wendy did become a Winter Guardian, there was still going to be another Healing Guardian. Healing Guardians can only be born from other Healing Guardians. Although Wendy didn't fit the bill, her sister, Carla, did. She was only four. She had the same white hair and brown eyes as Grandine. That in itself showed that she was a Healer. They always have white hair, though, at first, Grandine had hoped Wendy was an exception. They were all happy that Carla was going to be a Healer, though, because then Wendy and Carla wouldn't have to separate.

Grandine's hands glowed as she moved her hands over Lucy's body, finding the problem. Oddly enough, she didn't find anything wrong. She grabbed a book from the shelf next to her and started flipping through it. As she did that, something caught in the corner of her eye. She saw the potted flower on the side table begin leaning towards the blonde. Her eyes widened. Was this girl a Summer Guardian?

"Gray?" Grandine asked, setting the book down. "How old is this girl?"

Gray was surprised at the question. He didn't really know the answer, but he decided to tell her his guess. "Fifteen," he said easily.

Grandine nodded and looked back to Lucy. "I just needed to know how much medicine to give her, just in case," she lied. Her mind started to wander. If the girl was only fifteen, her powers may not have been awoken yet. She knew that Ur's powers were awoken late, as was Ultear's. It did pain her greatly when Wendy would tell her that Gray was upset about Ultear a day in particular, since she knew the girl was alive and well. She was actually the one to tell Ur what to do. They both knew that Gray would try to get Ultear to stay, and Lyon would try to go with her. They both knew that would be bad. The boys were too reckless to know the truth. Besides, that would mean they would know the Summer Guardian, which was forbidden. Well, right now it looked like Gray was attached to one, which could be bad.

"She needs some fresh air, Gray," Grandine finally said. "You can't keep someone locked inside your cold castle all day. She's young, so she needs to be outside. When she wakes up, why don't you all go play outside? Wendy, you can go get Romeo and all go together."

Gray thanked her and grabbed Lucy again. Wendy hugged her mother before following Gray out the door.

Grandine smiled at the two, still thinking about Lucy. She usually moved towns with the seasons, so she hadn't been to the Summer Guardians castle in a while. She didn't like to be updated by messenger, so she found out about news when she reached the season. That means she still thought Loke was a Guardian. She had no way of knowing that this girl was _already _a Guardian. And she was in for quite the surprise.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notice 1: I'm really sorry for not updating for so long! A lot was going on for me with all the holidays and what-not. Right now I actually have this nasty lung infection. Not to gross anyone out, but I cough so much at night that I make myself throw up, sometimes up to six times. It's pretty gross. I didn't go to school yesterday, and today I had off, so I was home for two days. I just got my computer last Saturday, so I will be posting more often (hopefully). I've spent the last few days downloading music and playing World of Warcraft. I hadn't been able to play it for three months, since my dad's computer is awful for gaming, so I was really excited to play again. I wouldn't say I'm bored with it, but I got it out of my system, so I won't be fully engrossed in the game. ANNNNND my computer was messed up! System 32 got deleted from my computer. There was a 60% chance that all the files on my computer wouldn't be there when everything was fixed, but they were! So now I can update again :) I really hope there won't be any more interruptions and inconveniences, but this is me. Things always go wrong with me.**

**Notice 2: As you have probably heard, I was going to build a computer. It is amazing for me to say that it's finished! I know have my own computer in my room that I can write with whenever I please and as late as I please, which is really convenient. Before, I had to write on my phone. My dad has a computer in the dining room, but my family doesn't know I write; I'm uncomfortable with the idea of them knowing. The point is that I can write more! I made a folder on my computer for FanFiction. I put all the chapters and notes I had on my FanFiction account and my phone into folders according to the story. Then I went through all of my messages on here to sort them. I made a list of all the requests I have gotten for stories and wrote a list of everyone who wants to help out with my novel, which I am still accepting help for. (Even having readers are helpful. Not everyone has to help edit.) I do have a plan for the future with my writing. I would like to write quite a lot of chapters in advance for all my stories, including the sequel for _Perfect for You_ which I will then write. Then I'll take some time to do all the requests I have gotten for stories. And after that long process, I can finally begin my novel. Anyways, I hope you will all be patient and supportive through this adventure of mine. I really enjoy writing for you all, so I hope you will all stick around to see everything I have planned. I love you all! *hugs***

**A/N: I know that this was suppose to mainly be a Christmas story, but as I mentioned above, time really hasn't been my friend. I really want to take my time with this idea, anyways, so I'm going to just let it be a normal story for me.**

**Next to Update: Take my Hand**

**Please leave a review!**

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><p>"Is Lucy going to be okay?" Romeo asked Gray as he entered the kitchen.<p>

When the four got back to Gray's castle, Gray made the kids hot chocolate, then went to put Lucy in his room until she woke up. Cana had left a note on the kitchen counter saying that she had to unpack from her trip and she'd visit later. Lyon left a similar note, only he said that he would be back later that night after he checked up on Lucy's family a bit.

Gray ruffled Romeo's hair. "She'll be alright, so don't worry." He pulled a chair out and sat down. "Grandine said that we should just make sure she gets fresh air. So we're all going to play outside when she wakes up. We can't use any powers, though. She doesn't know anything about Guardians and we can't mention them at all. Do you guys understand?"

"I get it!" Wendy said with a wide smile. She took one last sip of her drink, emptying it completely. Romeo had almost a full cup. He smiled and gave his to her. Gray laughed at that and got up to make the boy another cup.

With fresh cups of hot chocolate, with coffee for Gray, the three talked and laughed. The two children really did love Gray, and he loved them just as much. Wendy reminded him of Ultear when they were children and Romeo reminded him of himself.

It was only a matter of minutes before the blonde came stumbling into the room. She was rubbing her head, still half asleep. "Glad to see you're alright, Sleeping Beauty," Gray joked. "We're all going to play in the snow, so we need to get you dressed for that." He looked to the small bluenette. "Will you help her with that? There should be some old clothes in my sister's room."

Wendy nodded and took Lucy upstairs. She and Romeo both knew about what happened with Ultear, since Gray didn't know that he shouldn't them. He had no idea that she was a Summer Guardian, so he didn't think he was offsetting anything.

When the four finally made it outside to play, Romeo and Wendy ran off to build a snowman. Gray waited back to stay with Lucy, who closed her eyes and looked to the sky, holding her arms up to the sun. She could feel her whole body warming up. The feeling that she was missing something was no longer there. Her excitement for the snow finally took over.

"Do you want to make a snowman?" Gray asked, seeing that the two kids were already making one. He noticed how Romeo was subtly using his magic to pack the snow tighter or being more to him. Wendy had awoken her powers, yes, but she hadn't been able to control snow or ice. The wind seemed to bend around her a bit, though, so he knew that controlling the wind would be her strongsuit.

Lucy shook her head childishly. "I want to make angels!" She flopped backwards onto the ground, throwing the snow around her up into the air. With a flick of the wrist, Gray made the flakes fall slowly, shining more in the light. She let out a giggle and blew on some of the snow, making it flutter around even more.

Lucy and Gray played in the snow until Wendy and Romeo were done with their snowman. Then the war started. Snowballs went flying, and the laughter carried in the air. Lucy wouldn't notice how more snowballs were being thrown around than people or how Gray would force the snow to lose veloticty before it could hit her. It wasn't long before Wendy and Lucy fought and Gray and Romeo fought seperately. The boys' battle got quite intense, really.

The choas stopped completely when Lyon made his way into the clearing. He told Gray that they needed to talk. Lucy was getting cold anyways. She was happy that she got to play in the snow, since she couldn't remember a time when she got to have so much fun in the cold.

Gray made everyone more hot chocolate before sending everyone to the living room. He leaned against the island as Lyon sat down. "So did you find anything? I know it will be hard to search through so many girls named Lucy," he said to his brother.

Lyon sighed. "There are way too many people with that name to even start. I wouldn't have enough time in my life to look at each one. I narrowed down the search by searching for blondes and teenagers, but there are still way too many. Without her last name this could take forever," he explained. "I need more clues."

"I haven't really had a chance to talk to her about what all she remembers, really," Gray said said with a shrug. "I'm definitely going to try to get her to remember, though."

Lyon thought a moment. "She told me that she remembered a guy." He saw his brother raise an eyebrow. "She said that she didn't remember anything about him, but that he was important."

"So a brother?" Gray guessed. "You should check out ones with siblings. That could narrow it down a lot."

Lyon nodded and stood up. "I'm going to go do that now, then. I really don't think we should sit around any longer." He grabbed his coat off the counter and quickly left.

Gray went into the living room. Wendy and Romeo were both fast asleep, curled up beside each other on the couch. Lucy was shivering by herself in a chair. "Do you want to go take a warm bath?" he offered. She happily nodded and followed him. "We'll have to go into town to get you some clothes, too."

Lucy skipped over to turn the bath water on. When she saw Gray about to leave the room, she ran over and hugged his waist. "You have to get in, too!" she said cheerfully. She went over to the shelf with all the shampoo and picked a couple, then went over to the tub.

Gray was mildly surprised that she asked him to stay. He couldn't help but stare as she stripped and got into the tub. He felt like a total pediphile oggling a fifteen-year-old, but she was very attractve. He didn't want her to catch him staring, so he quickly stripped and stepped into the tub. She turned around just as he was under the water.

"The water is so warm!" Lucy cheered, splashing some water up. She swam over closer to him. He felt as if the water was ten degrees warmer, which made him wonder why on Earthland he was feeling that way towards her. He didn't realize that the water actually got warming, because he didn't realize that she just made things warmer. "Hey, what are you thinking about?" She noticed how he looked almost worried.

He wasn't thinking about much, really. Just that he was acting all weird around such a young girl when he had the most beautiful girlfriend in the world. But for some unknown reason, he was starting to think that Lucy was more beautiful than Cana. He was totally screwed.

"So, Lucy," Gray said, wanting to ask about something Lyon could find useful. "Do you remember anything about your trip up to the mountain here?"

Lucy shook her head and splashed around in the water more. Gray just sighed and leaned against the edge of the tub, waiting for her to be done with her bathe. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander to different times he and Cana were togther.


End file.
